Petition to Rename Avalon Dive Park in honor of Dr. Bill
- Thread starter merxlin
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fisheater
Contributor
Done and shared on my social media.
LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
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I did the right thing
Done. How much for an underwater plaque?
Ken Kurtis
Contributor
FYI, we're working on that separately.
There's a permitting process that involves the state (since it's a state-designated MPA), not the city.
Let me know how I can help.
wetrat
Contributor
Done!
OP
There has been a lot of interest in this and we can't thank you all enough for the support, and sharing the petition. We are at almost 2700 signatures now. There are several options for giving Bill some well deserved recognition at Casino Point, the dive park and/or in the MPA.
As I am sure you can understand, we will be dealing with multiple entities at the Local, City State and Federal level. In an effort to make sure we do not have multiple efforts working simultaneously, please contact me or Ken Kurtis (also here on ScubaBoard with your ideas so we can coordinate them. We will probably set up a committee to look into all the options and ideas, and them move them forward.
Again, thank you.
As I am sure you can understand, we will be dealing with multiple entities at the Local, City State and Federal level. In an effort to make sure we do not have multiple efforts working simultaneously, please contact me or Ken Kurtis (also here on ScubaBoard with your ideas so we can coordinate them. We will probably set up a committee to look into all the options and ideas, and them move them forward.
Again, thank you.
OP
Dr. Bill Memorial Update-
After some discussions with the City of Avalon we have a few options we will be pursuing:
Renaming the Dive Park- Probably not going to happen. Too much politics involved.
Topside Memorial Plaque - Very possible and would be separate from the sign at the top of the stairs, One additional possibility to this is a So Cal Diver's Hall of Fame, where Bill would be the inaugural member.
Renaming the MPA - Currently the Casino Point State Marine Conservation Area, to something like "Dr. Bill Bushing State Marine Conservation Area at Casino Point." - Seems long but keep the location and Dr Bill's name.
Underwater Plaque - Similar to the Cousteau Plaque- and also seems doable. We will discuss locations and the installation process. This has to be approved by CA Fish & Game, but it seems achievable.
Once we get a few more details worked out we will need some help, so please message me if you would like to be involved. Also, I am sure at some point we will need funds, but will set that up once we know how much and what they will be used for.
And finally (for now) we will be reaching out to those who signed the petition, as well as those that just want to comment, to get some brief (1-2 paragraphs) statements from divers about why Dr Bill was so important to our sort and the dive community. Those will carry more weight with government entities than just the petition (although that helps a lot as well). We will publish where to send them as soon as we have that established.
Bill will be remembered at the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup in late Feb, and also at Chamber Day/Eve on May 4.
After some discussions with the City of Avalon we have a few options we will be pursuing:
Renaming the Dive Park- Probably not going to happen. Too much politics involved.
Topside Memorial Plaque - Very possible and would be separate from the sign at the top of the stairs, One additional possibility to this is a So Cal Diver's Hall of Fame, where Bill would be the inaugural member.
Renaming the MPA - Currently the Casino Point State Marine Conservation Area, to something like "Dr. Bill Bushing State Marine Conservation Area at Casino Point." - Seems long but keep the location and Dr Bill's name.
Underwater Plaque - Similar to the Cousteau Plaque- and also seems doable. We will discuss locations and the installation process. This has to be approved by CA Fish & Game, but it seems achievable.
Once we get a few more details worked out we will need some help, so please message me if you would like to be involved. Also, I am sure at some point we will need funds, but will set that up once we know how much and what they will be used for.
And finally (for now) we will be reaching out to those who signed the petition, as well as those that just want to comment, to get some brief (1-2 paragraphs) statements from divers about why Dr Bill was so important to our sort and the dive community. Those will carry more weight with government entities than just the petition (although that helps a lot as well). We will publish where to send them as soon as we have that established.
Bill will be remembered at the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup in late Feb, and also at Chamber Day/Eve on May 4.
OP
Quick Update- We have submitted a proposal to the California Fish and Game commission to rename the “Casino Point SMCA” to the “Dr. Bill Bushing SMCA at Casino Point.”. Included with the application were numerous statements many of you provided, plus a very positive statement from Jean Michael Cousteau.
Many thanks to Ken Kurtis for handling the heavy lifting on this.
Many thanks to Ken Kurtis for handling the heavy lifting on this.
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